DSC Communications Error

[neoprema]

So, as some of you will know, i'm fiddling with Olarm and NodeMCU using the Arduino keybus interface etc. etc.
That's all part of the journey i'm on to integrate my DSC panel to easier ways of control.

However, I have the SAME recurring problem for a few months now and i'm just out of ideas as it just repeats itself over and over and over...

1. Alarm will be fine and works as per normal.
2. Randomly, it will start beeping and log a "Communications" error.
3. ADT no longer receives my signals.
4. ADT comes out, says the radio is faulty and replaces it.
5. A few weeks pass... REPEAT from step 1.

This will now be the 5th time i'm calling ADT To replace a radio. I am beginning to wonder if it is faulty radios or not? Although the technicians are saying the radio is dead.

the ADT radio is connected to the DSC, as well as to an output from the Nemtek fence.

Anyone with an idea what it could be that's killing these radios all the time?

 

[Tinuva]

Have you tried running the radio on the alarm only? eg. remove the nemtek fence connection

 

[neoprema]

Have you tried running the radio on the alarm only? eg. remove the nemtek fence connection

Hmm no i haven't. I'll try it today.

Can the radios "crash" if they're getting something dodgy?

 

[Tinuva]

Hmm no i haven't. I'll try it today.

Can the radios "crash" if they're getting something dodgy?

My thinking is this. You have 2 different sources connected to it. Means they need a shared ground, else you get strange issues. I have literally never heard of your problem with people who only have an alarm connected to the radio. Personally my thinking is, the fence should be a zone (like a panic type zone, or box tamper type zone) on the alarm, not connected directly to the radio.

The other thing is, over voltage return from the fence to the radio could definitely cause it to blow.

 

[ItherNiT]

I had to replace 2 cables to external beams in the week, one of my cables caused my alarm to turn off completely and my comms/radio unit also had weird behavior while the alarm was plugged in. I would get messages at random times that the power went off and on even with the plug powered at all times.

 

[neoprema]

My thinking is this. You have 2 different sources connected to it. Means they need a shared ground, else you get strange issues. I have literally never heard of your problem with people who only have an alarm connected to the radio. Personally my thinking is, the fence should be a zone (like a panic type zone, or box tamper type zone) on the alarm, not connected directly to the radio.

The other thing is, over voltage return from the fence to the radio could definitely cause it to blow.

Hmmm yeah will try this tonight.

Really irritating me i have enough to do without this panel beeping and boopping every 3rd day with a broken radio. And then the parentals are upset because they are convinced the criminals got the error message too and will break in now because the radio is offline..

 

[neoprema]

I had to replace 2 cables to external beams in the week, one of my cables caused my alarm to turn off completely and my comms/radio unit also had weird behavior while the alarm was plugged in. I would get messages at random times that the power went off and on even with the plug powered at all times.

Yeah they can do weird things. Sometimes i think these fully digital/it-runs-an-operating-system alarm systems coming out are more reliable and easier to troubleshoot...

 

[neoprema]

@Tinuva Any idea how to read this radio? I'm not sure which is the fence and which not because they're coming from one core (prob split when it goes into the wall between panel and all the way to the other side of the house to the Nemtek.

Also there seems to be a relay connected?

see below

 

[Tinuva]

Oh no I think any advice I give here further might be wrong.

 

[neoprema]

To clarify - black and red thin wires above are going from the RELAY. the 2 pairs below adt.co.za are going into a sheath and i'm guessing, to the fence and alarm?

 

[neoprema]

@Tinuva Any idea how to read this radio? I'm not sure which is the fence and which not because they're coming from one core (prob split when it goes into the wall between panel and all the way to the other side of the house to the Nemtek.

Also there seems to be a relay connected?

see below

View attachment 1481511

View attachment 1481513

Okay so some Googling and figuring stuff out, i've made the following assumptions:

The relay is there to trigger the low battery warning by tripping GND on AIO1 when the power is off (the relay is getting powered from my panel BEFORE the battery).

The 2 pairs of wires are the actual trips for the alarm and fence. The only way to figure out which is to trace the colors back to the panel and/or fence. Which i'll do.

There's status lights, but without a manual its going to be hard to figure out which combination of LEDs mean what..

Interestingly, this device is a SigFox transmitter under the official name of ADT IOT Alarm Communicator...

 

[krieg]

@Tinuva Any idea how to read this radio? I'm not sure which is the fence and which not because they're coming from one core (prob split when it goes into the wall between panel and all the way to the other side of the house to the Nemtek.

Also there seems to be a relay connected?

see below

View attachment 1481511

View attachment 1481513

Hookup to the debug port with your usb serial cable. Figure out with continuity from the right hand side test points RX, TX and gnd. Maybe you can get some debug logs.

 

[neoprema]

Hookup to the debug port with your usb serial cable. Figure out with continuity from the right hand side test points RX, TX and gnd. Maybe you can get some debug logs.

Not a bad idea.

I'm just worried that it can send different signal types to ADT though and one might be triggered when a serial connection is made lol. Will have a shiny warning letter from them not to tamper with their equipment lol.

 

[krieg]

Not a bad idea.

I'm just worried that it can send different signal types to ADT though and one might be triggered when a serial connection is made lol. Will have a shiny warning letter from them not to tamper with their equipment lol.

Connect only RX and gnd then. Tx is transmit.

 

[w1tw0lf]

I have been running this for almost 3 years and not once have any major issue with either radio or nodemcu giving any issues on a dsc system and itergrates perfectly with home assistant. The dev is also extremly responsive to queries/support.

GitHub - Dilbert66/esphome-dsckeybus at dev

Esphome custom configuration for interfacing to a DSC POWERSERIES alarm system - Dilbert66/esphome-dsckeybus

github.com

 

[neoprema]

I have been running this for almost 3 years and not once have any major issue with either radio or nodemcu giving any issues on a dsc system and itergrates perfectly with home assistant. The dev is also extremly responsive to queries/support.

GitHub - Dilbert66/esphome-dsckeybus at dev

Esphome custom configuration for interfacing to a DSC POWERSERIES alarm system - Dilbert66/esphome-dsckeybus

github.com

Cool. I want HomeKit integration but I imagine this might be possible by connecting to HA and then exposing it?

 

[w1tw0lf]

Have a look at this one, which it is based on that supports homekit, https://github.com/taligentx/dscKeybusInterface

 

[neoprema]

Have a look at this one, which it is based on that supports homekit, https://github.com/taligentx/dscKeybusInterface

I did, but I didn't buy the ESP32, only the 8266

 

[w1tw0lf]

Also used a esp8266 in beginning but was told it might have issues due to the flash/storage limitations. It is better to get an esp32 for this project.

 

[neoprema]

Also used a esp8266 in beginning but was told it might have issues due to the flash/storage limitations. It is better to get an esp32 for this project.

Off to Communica I shall be...